Directed by: Paul Greengrass
Written by: Billy Ray
Main cast members: Tom Hanks, Barkhad Abdi, Catherine Keener, Max Martini, Barkhad Abdirahman, Faysal Ahmed, Michael Chernus
Number of Oscar nominations in total: 6
Other nominations besides Best Picture: Best Supporting Actor (Abdi), Best Adapted Screenplay (Ray), Best Film Editing, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing
Notable precursor wins: Won Best Adapted Screenplay at the Writers Guild of America Awards, Won Best Supporting Actor at the London Critics Circle Film Awards, and Won Best Edited Feature Film – Dramatic at the American Cinema Editors ACE Eddie Awards
Chances at winning Best Picture: A long shot contender, but not the longest of shots in the lineup
Chances at other Academy Award wins: Perhaps the new frontrunner for Best Film Editing, with a fighter’s chance at Best Sound Editing and Sound Mixing, plus a potential spoiler in Best Adapted Screenplay
ANALYSIS OF OTHER OSCAR NOMINEES: 12 Years a Slave, American Hustle, Captain Phillips, Dallas Buyers Club, Gravity and HER.
Captain Phillips is the third film in my “get to know a Best Picture nominee” series, and it’s the first that’s not a major contender in this category. Early on in the season, it was considered a potential frontrunner for the award, and at the very least for Tom Hanks in Best Actor. Obviously Hanks was snubbed by the Academy, and so was director Paul Greengrass and cinematographer Barry Ackroyd for that matter, but the movie itself still managed a half dozen Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. It wound up with a very decent haul, making it a film that really needs to have an eye kept on it. Maybe not in the Best Picture race, but somewhere.
Working in Captain Phillips’ favor is momentum. After a number of months spent not winning anything (though it picked up some nominations), it took Best Adapted Screenplay from the Writers Guild in a relative upset. Factor in the recent ACE Eddie win that suggests that it could take the Oscar for Best Film Editing, and it shows that the flick still has life in it yet. Enough to win Best Picture? Probably not, but it’s kept it in play for other awards, whereas up until a few weeks ago it was destined to go home empty handed.
If you’re looking for something that’s not in this film’s favor, it’s the simple fact that it missed out in Best Director and has only gained some momentum in lesser […]

More than 150 Oscar® nominees will come together at noon on Monday, February 10, at the Beverly Hilton when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honors this year’s Oscar contenders at its annual Nominees Luncheon.
Among the Lead Actor and Actress nominees, Amy Adams, Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Sandra Bullock, Bruce Dern, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matthew McConaughey and Meryl Streep are expected to attend the pre-Oscars® event. Supporting Actor and Actress nominees Barkhad Abdi, Bradley Cooper, Jonah Hill, Jared Leto, Lupita Nyong’o, Julia Roberts and June Squibb also will join in the celebratory lunch.
All five nominees in the Directing category, Alfonso Cuarón, Steve McQueen, Alexander Payne, David O. Russell and Martin Scorsese, are expected to attend as well.
Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2013 will be presented on Oscar Sunday, March 2, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscars, produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.
# # #
ABOUT THE ACADEMY
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world’s preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema. In addition to the annual Academy Awards–in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners–Academy presents a diverse year-round slate of public programs, exhibitions and events; provides financial support to a wide range of other movie-related organizations and endeavors; acts as a neutral advocate in the advancement of motion picture technology; and, through its Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive, collects, preserves, restores and provides access to movies and items related to their history. Through these and other activities the Academy serves students, historians, the entertainment industry and people everywhere who love movies.
FOLLOW THE ACADEMY
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www.youtube.com/Oscars
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A nice little announcement was made earlier today by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (or AMPAS), as they named the winners of the “Team Oscar” contest. This was done on The Ellen DeGeneres Show by actor Channing Tatum, Oscar ceremony producers Neil Meron and Craig Zadan, along with DeGeneres herself, who will be hosting the show next month.
The “Team Oscar” contest was basically a college search that looked for film fans who could be potential Academy Award winners in the future, with contestants having to make an entry video that could catch the eye of those making the selections. The six students chosen will get to give the Oscar statues to the celebrities who will be presenting those awards during the telecast. That’s pretty cool, if you ask me.
I’m sure these half dozen college students will be buoyed by this pat on the back from AMPAS and use it as fuel/motivation to get their careers going when they graduate. Who knows, maybe we’ll see them accepting an Oscar in the next few decades? Anything is possible…

Here’s the press release from The Academy:
BEVERLY HILLS, CA — Channing Tatum, The Academy, and Oscars Producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron today announced the winners of the “Team Oscar” college search on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” along with this year’s Oscars host, Ellen DeGeneres. The winners will deliver Oscar statuettes to celebrity presenters at the Oscars on Sunday, March 2, 2014, live on ABC.
“We created this contest last year to give students who are passionate about film, the opportunity to set their sights on the future,” said Craig Zadan and Neil Meron. “We received so many inspiring submissions this year that it made for a difficult choice, but the talent and stories of these six winners really represent what Team Oscar is all about and convinced us that they are a perfect fit for the Oscar stage.”
The “Team Oscar” winners are:
Zaineb Abdul-Nabi – University of Michigan (MI) – Hometown: Bronx, NY
Tayo Amos – Stanford University (CA) – Hometown: Mountain View, CA
Nathan Flanagan-Frankl – Chapman University (CA) – Hometown: Northbrook, IL
Jeanpaul Isaacs – Rutgers University (NJ) – Hometown: South Brunswick, NJ
Bryson Kemp – Muhlenberg College (PA) – Hometown: North East, MD
Mackenna Millet – Pepperdine University (CA) – Hometown: Laguna Niguel, CA
The winner’s videos can be viewed here.
“I was blown away by the quality of the videos the students created, and more importantly, […]

By ROBERT W. WELKOS
It was only last July that Cheryl Boone Isaacs, a long-time, behind-the-scenes Hollywood publicist and marketing executive, was elected president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
The first African American and third woman to lead the prominent movie industry organization that each year hands out the Oscars, Isaacs’ election provided proof, if any was still required, that the traditionally white and male AMPAS membership was becoming more diversified. An academy veteran, she had served in various posts inside the organization’s hierarchy and produced last year’s Governors Awards.
But now Isaacs tenure as president is being buffeted by controversy over a decision by the academy’s board of governors to disqualify the song Alone Yet Not Alone from a small, faith-based movie of the same name that few have seen. How deftly she navigates the controversy could prevent the dispute from tarnishing the Oscars.
The song is from a film that had a limited release last fall to qualify for Oscar consideration and will be released more widely June 13. The song was recorded by Joni Eareckson Tada, a quadriplegic with limited lung capacity, and was one of five songs nominated by the academy on Jan. 16.
The academy’s rare step of rescinding a nomination came after the board of governors determined that composer Bruce Broughton, a long-time academy member himself and former board governor, violated academy rules by sending emails to approximately 70 of his fellow music branch members suggesting they listen to the song, which he wrote with lyricist Dennis Spiegel.
“No matter how well-intentioned the communication, using one’s position as a former governor and current executive committee member to personally promote one’s own Oscar submission creates the appearance of an unfair advantage,” the academy said in a written statement announcing its ruling. The action was designed “to protect the reputation and integrity of the awards process.”
But some have questioned the harshness of the ruling.
For example, Scott Feinberg, the Hollywood Reporter’s awards analyst, wondered if the punishment fit the crime. “… Do I think that they deserved to have their Oscar nomination rescinded by the Academy? “ he wrote. “On the basis of the evidence that the Academy has supplied and in the context of how most contenders campaign for Oscars these days: No, I do not.”
One long-time Academy member, who asked not to be named, said the board’s action seemed “a […]

The 86th Academy Awards® will be a celebration of movie heroes, producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron announced today. Offering their first preview of the upcoming Oscar broadcast, hosted by Ellen DeGeneres, the producers said the show will honor big-screen real-life heroes, super heroes, popular heroes and animated heroes, both past and present, as well as the bold filmmakers who bring them to life. The Oscars will air on Sunday, March 2, live on ABC.
“We wanted to unify the show with an entertaining and emotional theme,” said Zadan and Meron. “People around the world go to the movies to be inspired by the characters they see on the screen. By celebrating the gamut of heroes who have enriched our movie-going experience, we hope to create an evening of fun and joy. And that includes the filmmakers and actors who take risks and stimulate us with provocative subjects and daring characters. They are all heroes in the cinematic landscape.”
“Of course, there will be no shortage of comedy with Ellen DeGeneres as our host,” the producers added. “There may also be a few musical surprises along the way.”
To coincide with the Oscar telecast theme, the Academy will present “The Oscars Celebrates Movie Heroes,” an exhibition in the Grand Lobby Gallery of its Beverly Hills headquarters. On display Friday, January 17 through Wednesday, March 5, the show will feature still photographs and posters from 70 titles spanning nine decades, as well as video montages comprised of excerpts from classic and contemporary films. The exhibit will include films centered on real-life heroes (“Gandhi,” “Silkwood”), super heroes (“Superman,” “The Dark Knight”), animated heroes (“Shrek,” “The Incredibles”), action heroes (“Seven Samurai,” “Gladiator”), literary heroes (“To Kill a Mockingbird,” “Grapes of Wrath”) and more.
The 86th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 16, 2014, at 5:35 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater by Cheryl Boone Isaacs and Chris Hemsworth.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2013 will be presented on Sunday, March 2, 2014, at the Dolby Theatre™ at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation, produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, will also be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.
# # #
ABOUT THE ACADEMY
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world’s preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished […]

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today that it has received a $25 million commitment from The David Geffen Foundation for the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. The gift was made as part of the Academy Museum’s $300 million capital campaign and is the largest commitment received to date. In recognition of this gift, the Academy will name the Museum’s premiere-sized theater The David Geffen Theater.
“David’s support of this project is transformative,” said Academy Museum Campaign Chair Bob Iger. “It takes a large and diverse group of supporters to build a project on the scale of the Academy Museum. David joins an esteemed group of individuals, companies, and foundations who are leading the charge.” The Academy launched the Museum’s capital campaign in 2012 and has already secured more than half of the campaign’s goal in commitments. The campaign is co-chaired by Annette Bening and Tom Hanks.
“I’m pleased to support the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures,” added David Geffen. “This is an exciting opportunity to be part of the creation of an iconic architectural space and cultural institution that will combine the best of the old and the new and provide a permanent public home for the Academy’s rich tradition of honoring the shining stars of the cinematic arts.”
Designed by architects Renzo Piano and Zoltan Pali, the Academy Museum will be located next to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) in the historic Wilshire May Company building. Slated to open in early 2017, the Academy Museum will contain nearly 300,000 square feet of state-of-the-art galleries, exhibition spaces, theaters, screening rooms, education centers, and special event spaces.
The design for the Academy Museum fully restores the Wilshire and Fairfax street-front facades of the original 1939 Streamline Moderne building. It also includes a spherical wing at the northern end of the original building that will replace an extension made to the structure in 1946. Designed to represent the marriage of art and technology, the wing will house The David Geffen Theater and will be a spectacular new piece of contemporary architecture that will perfectly complement the historic building.
“David’s enlightened philanthropy touches lives every day,” said Dawn Hudson, the Academy’s CEO. “His generosity and commitment to our museum are deeply inspiring to all of us working to make this long-held dream a reality.”
The David Geffen Theater will be in operation throughout the year. Programming will include: premieres of films from […]

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the ABC Television Network today announced the dates for the 86th and 87th Oscar® presentations. The 86th and 87th Academy Awards® will air live on ABC on Oscar Sunday, March 2, 2014, and February 22, 2015, respectively.
Key dates for the Awards season are:
Saturday, November 16, 2013: The Governors Awards
Monday, December 2, 2013: Official Screen Credits due
Friday, December 27, 2013: Nominations voting begins
Wednesday, January 8, 2014: Nominations voting ends 5 p.m. PT
Thursday, January 16, 2014: Oscar nominations announced
Monday, February 10, 2014: Nominees Luncheon
Friday, February 14, 2014: Final voting begins
Saturday, February 15, 2014: Scientific and Technical Awards
Tuesday, February 25, 2014: Final voting ends 5 p.m. PT
Oscar Sunday, March 2, 2014: 86th Academy Awards
Oscar Sunday, February 22, 2015: 87th Academy Awards
The 86th and 87th Academy Awards ceremonies will be held at the Dolby Theatre™ at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network.
# # #
ABOUT THE ACADEMY
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world’s preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema. In addition to the annual Academy Awards–in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners–Academy presents a diverse year-round slate of public programs, exhibitions and events; provides financial support to a wide range of other movie-related organizations and endeavors; acts as a neutral advocate in the advancement of motion picture technology; and, through its Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive, collects, preserves, restores and provides access to movies and items related to their history. Through these and other activities the Academy serves students, historians, the entertainment industry and people everywhere who love movies.
FOLLOW THE ACADEMY
www.oscars.org
www.facebook.com/TheAcademy
www.youtube.com/Oscars
www.twitter.com/TheAcademy
Follow Hollywood News on Twitter for up-to-date news information.
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The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present a new digital restoration of “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” in celebration of the film’s 25th anniversary on Thursday, April 4, at 7:30 p.m. at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. The evening will feature a post-screening onstage discussion with director Robert Zemeckis and members of the cast and crew, including actress Joanna Cassidy, voice actor Charles Fleischer, supervising animator Andreas Deja, screenwriter Peter S. Seaman and associate producers Don Hahn and Steve Starkey. The panel will be moderated by director Rich Moore, who received an Oscar® nomination for Animated Feature Film for “Wreck-It Ralph” this past year.
A masterful blend of live-action filmmaking and classic animation, “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” boldly announced the rebirth of the Disney animation studio. The film endures as an inventive tribute to animation’s golden age that also set a new standard for what the medium could achieve.
“‘Roger Rabbit’ brought together the greatest animators, the most skilled technicians, and the finest talent of the day,” said Zemeckis. “It’s good to have this chance to show our work to both those who remember the film as well as to a new audience.”
“Who Framed Roger Rabbit” (1988) received Oscars® for Film Editing, Sound Effects Editing and Visual Effects, and a Special Achievement Award for Richard Williams’s animation direction. It also was nominated for Art Direction, Cinematography and Sound.
This digital restoration is provided courtesy of the Walt Disney Studios. The Disney restoration team used the original 35mm picture, VistaVision optical work and original sound elements to create this pristine digital version.
Tickets for “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID, and may be purchased online at oscars.org, in person at the Academy box office, or by mail. The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. All seating is unreserved. For more information, call (310) 247-3600 or visit oscars.org.
# # #
ABOUT THE ACADEMY
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world’s preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema. In addition to the annual Academy Awards–in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners–Academy presents a diverse year-round slate […]

Argo’s best picture win topped off a successful night at the Academy Awards® for movies originating on Kodak film. In the 85-year history of the awards, no Oscar®-winning best picture has ever been made without motion picture film technology.
In addition to best picture, films on Kodak also won Oscars® in all four acting categories, as well as adapted and original screenplay, among others. In all, movies produced on Kodak stock took home the gold statue in 12 of the 19 narrative feature categories (non-animated). Six of the nine best picture nominees told their memorable stories on celluloid (Argo, Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook, Django Unchained, Beasts of the Southern Wild, and Les Miserables).
“We take great pride in our rich history with the Academy Awards®, and this year is no exception,” says Andrew Evenski, president and general manager of Kodak’s Entertainment and Commercial Films Group. “You can listen to all the hype, but the truth is that motion picture film continues to be the gold standard, and last night was certainly proof of that.”
Earlier in the weekend, Film Independent’s Spirit Awards also named a best picture winner, Silver Linings Playbook, which originated on Kodak film. Four of the five nominees in that category also chose Kodak emulsions (Beasts of the Southern Wild, Keep the Lights On, Moonrise Kingdom, and Silver Linings Playbook).
Silver Linings Playbook also won in the directing, adapted screenplay, and best actress categories at the Spirit Awards, while best cinematography honors went to Ben Richardson for Beasts of the Southern Wild. Richardson’s palette was Kodak Super 16 mm film.
Evenski notes that the company is committed to providing filmmakers a range of products. “Filmmakers want creative options. We are as committed as ever to providing them with a choice for telling stories. We are currently making billions of feet of film and, who knows, maybe next year’s best winner is already being shot on Kodak film.”
Kodak’s Entertainment Imaging Division is the world-class leader in providing film, digital and hybrid motion imaging products, services, and technology for the professional motion picture and exhibition industries. For more information, visit www.kodak.com/go/motion.
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Congratulations to the 2013 Oscar nominees and winners… for complete list of winners pls scroll down.
Best Supporting Actor:
Christoph Waltz – “Django Unchained”
Best Animated Short:
“Paperman” – John Kahrs
Best Animated Feature:
“Brave” – Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman
Cinematography:
“Life of Pi” – Claudio Miranda
Visual Effects:
“Life of Pi” – Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan De Boer and Donald R. Elliott
Costume Design:
“Anna Karenina” – Jacqueline Durran
Makeup/Hairstyling:
“Les Misérables” – Lisa Westcott and Julie Dartnell
Live Action Film:
“Curfew” – Shawn Christensen
Documentary Short Subject:
“Inocente” – Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine
Documentary Feature:
“Searching for Sugar Man”
Sound Mixing:
“Les Misérables” – Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson and Simon Hayes
Sound Editing:
“Zero Dark Thirty” – Paul N.J. Ottosson
Supporting Actress:
Anne Hathaway – “Les Miserables”
Film Editing:
“Argo” – William Goldenberg
Original Score:
Mychael Danna, “Life of Pi”
Original Song:
Adele – “Skyfall”
Adapted Screenplay:
Chris Terrio, “Argo”
Original Screenplay:
Quentin Tarantino, “Django Unchained”
Director:
Ang Lee, “Life of Pi”
Best Actress:
Jennifer Lawrence, “Silver Linings Playbook”
Best Picture:
“Argo”
For the first time, viewers in the U.S. will be able to stream tonight’s Oscars show in its entirety across multiple platforms including ABC.com, the ABC Player app, and the free, ad-supported Hulu and Hulu Plus subscription service. The show will also be available via ABC On Demand, the network’s fast forward-disabled VOD service.
The Oscars, in its entirety, will be available to stream within hours of its broadcast completion, beginning Monday, Feb. 25th at 6:00 a.m. EST through Wednesday, February 27, at midnight EST.
“Tonight’s show included remarkable performances that will surely have people talking. This is an easy, convenient way for anyone who missed the show to catch up and join the conversation,” said Karin Gilford, Senior Vice President of Digital Media, ABC Entertainment. “It’s also perfect for anyone who just wants to relive the most magical moments of the night.”
“Our goal is to give fans as many ways to enjoy and engage with the Oscars as possible and this will provide another great opportunity for them,” said Christina Kounelias, the Academy’s Chief Marketing Officer.
The full streaming will be advertiser supported with :15 or :30 video spots running intermittingly from Blue Diamond, Diet Coke, Hyundai, JC Penney, Samsung and The University of Phoenix.
Additionally, during the telecast, Oscar.com offered a plethora of “Real Time Oscar Highlights” to viewers almost instantly after they debuted on the live broadcast. Those special moments from telecast as well as numerous highlights from the Red Carpet and backstage during the show, are currently available on the show’s official site, Oscar.com.
Oscar.com and the official Oscars app […]

(Reuters) - Elvis Presley's pair of personal jets, one complete with gilded wash basin and plush sleeping quarters, will go under the hammer in a sealed-bid auction for a piece of mile-high rock and roll memorabilia, Julien's Auctions said on Friday.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - DISH Networks Inc said on Thursday it would make "The Interview," the controversial Sony Pictures Entertainment film about the fictitious assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, available as a pay-per-view option starting on Jan 2.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Sony Pictures Entertainment added more viewing options for its provocative comedy "The Interview," making the film available through U.S. pay television operators and nearly doubling the number of independent theaters that will show the movie.